Syrian children peer out as their car crosses into Lebanon. Fighting killed at least 56 on Friday.

Photo: Hassan Ammar, Associated Press

Syrian children peer out as their car crosses into Lebanon....

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In this Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 photo, destroyed buildings, including Dar Al-Shifa hospital, bottom, are seen after airstrikes targeted the area last week in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

Heavy fighting broke out near Damascus International Airport early Friday, as telephone and Internet lines remained out of service in Syria's capital and other cities for a second day.

The clashes were concentrated a few miles away from the airport, by the villages of Aqraba and Babila, according to activists. Syrian military jets pounded the area with bombs during the fighting.

The Syrian opposition has made significant gains on the battlefield in recent weeks. At the same time, officials in Washington have indicated that the Obama administration is moving toward recognizing a newly formed opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

On Thursday, the airport was closed because of the ongoing battles.

The Associated Press reported that the government reopened the road to the airport Friday after the early morning fighting abated. The general manager of the Syrian Civil Aviation Agency, Ghaidaa Abdul-Latif, told the AP that the airport was operating "as usual."

Some Syrians expressed fears that the unusual telephone and Web blackout was a prelude to a government operation targeting civilians. Syrian authorities previously have cut Internet and telephones in areas ahead of military operations. The Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, said at least 56 people were killed in attacks across the country on Friday.

Hundreds of Syrians turned out for protests against the government in Aleppo, Homs, the suburbs of Damascus and a handful of smaller towns, according to activists. The Friday protests have been a regular event since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011, according to activists. The strife has left more than 40,000 people dead.